Colman Domingo to Receive Black Reel Awards’ Chadwick Boseman Vanguard Award

It’s a Reel special honor for Colman Domingo

The 24th annual Black Reel Awards have set this year’s list of honorees for special recognition, with the 54-year-old Belizean-Guatemalan American actor and social justice activist among those being feted.

Colman DomingoFor a third year in a row, the Black Reel Awards will hand out a slate of awards, including its Vanguard Award among others.

Now known as the Chadwick Boseman Vanguard Award to honor both the recipient and memory of the prolific Boseman, who died of cancer in 2020 at age 43, the first renamed award will go to Domingo.

He’s being honored for his critically acclaimed and Oscar-worthy performances as civil rights leader Bayard Rustin in the Netflix film Rustin and as Mister in the musical film The Color Purple.

The 24th Annual Black Reel Awards will be broadcast on January 16, 2024.

Maite Alberdi to Receive Sundance Institute’s Vanguard Award for Nonfiction

Maite Alberdi is leading the way in filmmaking… And, now she’s being recognized for it.

The 40-year-old Chilean film producer, director, documentarian, screenwriter and film critic will be honored by the Sundance Institute.

Maite Alberdi,Alberdi will receive the Vanguard Award during the institute’s opening-night gala that will kick off the Sundance Film Festival’s 40th edition on January 18.

The Vanguard Awards honor artists whose work highlights the art of storytelling and creative independence in both nonfiction and fiction.

The Vanguard Award for Nonfiction will go to Alberdi, who directed The Eternal Memory. The film follows the relationship of Chilean journalist Augusto Góngora and Chilean actress Paulina Urrutia. It premiered last year at Sundance and received the World Cinema Documentary Jury Prize.

She was the first Chilean woman to be nominated for an Academy Award for The Mole Agent, which premiered at Sundance 2020.

Alberdi has a long history with the festival: She received a Sundance Documentary Film Grant in 2013 and 2016 and served on the jury for the 2019 World Documentary Competition.

Other honorees include Oppenheimer director Christopher Nolan, who will be honored with the first Sundance Institute Trailblazer Award, and Celine Song will also receive the Vanguard Award for Fiction.

The annual opening-night gala raises money for the nonprofit’s labs, grants and public programming. The Sundance Film Festival runs January 18-28 in Park City and Salt Lake City and online from January 25-28.

Bad Bunny to Receive Vanguard Award at GLAAD Media Awards

Bad Bunny is being feted for his activism…

The 28-year-old Puerto Rican superstar, who recently won his third career Grammy, will be honored at the 34th annual GLAAD Media Awards next month for advancing and supporting the LGBTQ community.

Bad BunnyBad Bunny — Spotify’s most-streamed artist in the world last year — will receive the Vanguard Award for having made “a significant difference in promoting acceptance of LGBTQ people and issues.”

Bad Bunny’s advocacy and outspoken allyship for the LGBTQ community has reached millions around the world, using his craft to speak out for equality.

“Bad Bunny uses his role as one of the world’s most popular music artists to boldly shine a light on LGBTQ people and issues, including transgender equality and ending violence against trans women of color,” said GLAAD President & CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. “By consistently advocating for our community, elevating our stories and demanding action from anti-LGBTQ leaders, Bad Bunny redefines the positive influence Latin music artists can have within the LGBTQ community, and has set an example for all artists.”

But El Conejo Malo isn’t the only Latino act set to be honored…

Five-time Grammy winner Christina Aguilera will receive the Advocate for Change Award for having “changed the game for LGBTQ people around the world.”

Aguilera has used her platform to be a bold advocate for the LGBTQ community, advancing conversations around acceptance and more through music. “Christina Aguilera is a beloved icon who has inspired and shared messages of love for the LGBTQ community since the start of her music career,” Ellis said. “From using her voice to speak out against anti-LGBTQ legislation to creating songs and music videos that showcase LGBTQ love, Christina loudly and proudly raises the bar for what it means to be a LGBTQ ally today.”

The awards show will be handed during the March 30 ceremony at the Beverly Hilton.

Here are GLAAD’s mini-bios of Bad Bunny & Aguilera:

Bad Bunny

Named Spotify’s most-streamed artist of 2022, with 8.3 billion streams globally, the three-time Grammy-winning artist, bringing his own voice to the forefront to help others see themselves in the world.

As he reimagines the Latin urban music genre, LGBTQ people and issues remain in the vanguards of equality and inclusion for him, especially those in Puerto Rico, where he was born. His live performances and music videos cast an array of voices, experiences and backgrounds, showcasing queer love and affection on full display. For his music video for “Yo Perreo Sola,” he dressed in drag, telling Rolling Stone, “I did it to show support to those who need it. I may not be gay, but I’m a human.”

In a performance for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the rapper paid homage to Alexa Negrón Luciano, a trans woman murdered in the city of Toa Baja, wearing a shirt in Spanish that read: “They killed Alexa, not a man in a skirt.” In 2019, the artist also helped influence a movement to force former Puerto Rican Governor, Ricardo Rosselló, to step down from office, after being exposed for corruption and anti-LGBTQ attitudes.

Moving from sound booth to the big screen, Bad Bunny plans to executive produce the forthcoming Netflix adaptation of the New York Times bestselling novel, They Both Die in the End, which features a queer Latinx storyline.

Previous GLAAD Vito Russo Award recipient Ricky Martin told Rolling Stone that Bad Bunny is an “icon for the Latin queer community.”

Christina Aguilera

Christina Aguilera, who has one of the most celebrated voices in history, has used her platform to be a bold advocate for the LGBTQ community, advancing conversations around LGBTQ acceptance and more, through music. Most recently, her impact on the LGBTQ community was realized after Club Q Colorado Springs shooting survivor, Michael Anderson, invoked her lyrics as he testified before the U.S. House Oversight Committee on LGBTQ violence. In 2002, Aguilera dedicated her single, “Beautiful,” to the LGBTQ community, with the line “words can’t bring us down” becoming a personal mantra for many queer people. The song brought a unique awareness and a sense of compassion in the face of hate, earning Aguilera a Special Recognition honor at the 14th GLAAD Media Awards. Last year, the seven-time Grammy-winner celebrated 20 years of “Beautiful” with a brand new music video, reminding people of the importance of accepting themselves for who they are.

A staunch supporter of LGBTQ rights and a visionary for representation, Aguilera raised over $500 million for HIV research with MAC Cosmetics in 2004, spoke out loudly against Proposition 8 in 2008 and brought trans dancers and drag artists into the limelight during the 2012 American Music Awards. Following the Pulse Nightclub mass shooting in Orlando, Aguilera dedicated the song, “Change,” to those affected by the tragedy with proceeds from the song going to victims’ families. She later penned a “Love Letter to the LGBTQ Community” for Billboard in 2017. Her very own Pride collection was launched in 2021, to proudly support two nonprofit organizations: TransTech and TransLash. Using the power of music to build bridges and demand change, Aguilera has redefined what it means to be a true advocate for the LGBTQ community, creating spaces for queer voices and talent to be known and thrive: From performing alongside breakthrough LGBTQ artists like Anitta, Syd, Kim Petras, Chika and Michaela Jaé, to condemning anti-LGBTQ legislation like Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law.

Garcia to Perform at This Year’s ASCAP Latin Music Awards

Kany Garcia is preparing for her great ASCAP

The 34-year-old Puerto Rican singer-songwriter will perform at the 25th annual ASCAP Latin Music Awards.

Kany Garcia

Garcia, a two-time Latin Grammy winner, including Best New Artist in 2008, joins a lineup of confirmed performers that includes Jacob Forever, Noel Schajris, Joss Favela and Silverio Lozada.

The awards ceremony will take place at the Vanderbilt Hotel in Condado in Puerto Rico on March 15.

This year, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers will honor iconic salsa group El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico and singer/songwriter Vico C during the ceremony hosted by José Santana.

El Gran Combo will be honored with the ASCAP Latin Heritage Award in recognition of their “unique and enduring contributions to Latin music” while urban music pioneer Vico C will receive the ASCAP Vanguard Award.

ASCAP will also present accolades to songwriter of the year, singer/songwriter of the year, publisher of the year, independent publisher of the year and Latin song of the year.

Last year, the annual awards show was hosted at the Ritz Carlton in South Beach, Miami, with standout performances by Natalia Lafourcade, Favela, who became the youngest-ever songwriter of the year winner, and Gente de Zona.

Lovato to Receive Vanguard Award at This Year’s GLAAD Media Awards

There’s no denying Demi Lovato is a vanguard… And, now she’ll have the award to prove it.

The 23-year-old part-Mexican American actress will be honored with the Vanguard Award at this year’s GLAAD Media Awards.

Demi Lovato

Lovato is being feted for her commitment to supporting LGBT youth.

In 2013, the “Cool for the Summer” singer was the GLAAD ambassador for Spirit Day, part of their anti-bullying campaign. Additionally, Lovato’s was applauded for filming the official music video for her single “Really Don’t Care at the annual L.A. Pride parade in West Hollywood.

Previous honorees have included Jennifer LopezJanet Jackson, Kerry Washington and others.

A few of this year’s nominees include Adam Lambert and Le1f for outstanding music artist; Caitlyn Jenner’s I Am Cait for outstanding reality series; and the documentary Mala Mala for outstanding documentary.

The 27th annual GLAAD Media Awards will be held at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles on April 2.

Lopez to Receive Vanguard Award at the GLAAD Media Awards

It’s a Vanguard moment for Jennifer Lopez 

The 44-year-old Puerto Rican singer-actress and American Idol judge will be feted at the GLAAD Media Awards next month, the LGBT advocacy organization announced Monday.

Jennifer Lopez

Lopez, an executive producer on ABC Family’s The Fosters, will be recognized with the Vanguard Award at the ceremony, which will take place at the Beverly Hilton on April 12.

The Vanguard Award is presented to artists and media professionals who, through their work, have increased the visibility and understanding of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

Along with her strong support of LGBT issues in the media, Lopez is being recognized for her work on The Fosters, a GLAAD Media Award-nominated drama series about a lesbian couple raising a family of biological, adopted and foster children. Lopez’s inspiration for producing The Fosters came from her late aunt, who faced prejudice because of her sexual orientation and was unable to have her own family.

“Through her work to bring The Fosters to life and by consistently speaking out as a powerful ally, Jennifer Lopez has not only sent a message of acceptance to LGBT adults and young people, but inspired new support for our community among her many fans around the globe,” said GLAAD CEO and president Sarah Kate Ellis. “Family is about love, and that’s a message Jennifer has shared with millions through her groundbreaking work on The Fosters.”

Previous Vanguard honorees include Antonio Banderas, Drew Barrymore, Kristin Chenoweth, Whoopi Goldberg, Josh Hutcherson, Janet Jackson, Eric McCormack, Liza Minnelli, Sharon Stone and Elizabeth Taylor.